Sun City resident attempting another record on a tribute hike

Sun City resident Art “Karts” Huseonica is deep into planning for a tetralogy hike in spring 2026 on the Arizona Trail, one of the nation’s National Scenic Trails.

His tetralogy hike has four components. They are a tribute to the Arizona Trail’s founder Dale Shewalter; an attempt to reset his yo-yo hike record to his age of 75; supporting the Operation Freedom March for veterans; and helping celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

Shewalter passed away in 2010, just one year before the Arizona Trail was officially completed. Huseonica has always held a deep appreciation for the pioneering work of Shewalter in designing and coordinating with numerous state and national agencies to create a challenging and inspiring trail. According to the Shewalter family, “This is a tribute to endurance, respect, and stewardship. Resetting a record by walking the trail at 75 to honor Dale, and to inspire others to explore and protect our public lands and wilderness for future generations.”

With the blessing of the Shewalter family and with coordination from the Arizona Trail Association, Huseonica will carry a flag recognizing Shewalter. He will get other hikers and supporters to sign the flag for presentation to the Shewalter family.

In 2018, Huseonica set a yo-yo record on the Arizona Trail for being the oldest at 67 to complete such a hike. Only two other hikers have done it, much younger than Huseonica. He hopes to reset the record by hiking the trail for 800 miles/1,287km from Mexico to Utah, and then back again.

He’s also hiking to help veterans as part of Operation Freedom March through the Arizona Trail Association’s program for veterans. Operation Freedom March is a year-long initiative for veterans, until July 4, 2026, to be involved in various ways with the Arizona Trail. This includes hiking, trail maintenance, biking, and running. Through stewardship and shared service, participants reconnect with public lands, each other and the nation they served.

Lastly, the Arizona governor’s office has asked Huseonica to carry the official flag representative of Arizona and America as they prepare to observe America’s Semiquincentennial as part of AZ America250. Leading this is Arizona Secretary of State Arian Fontes and the Arizona American250 commission, tasked with “... illuminating Arizona’s untamed spirit of independence.”

“I am forever humbled to have been asked to help Arizona recognize our nation’s 250th anniversary. I will do this with the utmost respect, as well as with Operation Freedom and the Dale Shewalter legacy,” said Huseonica.

Numerous guest hikers have expressed interest in hiking with Huseonica for a few miles or a few days. This includes staff from the National Park Service, authors and journalists and reality TV stars such as Jeff Zausch.

Huseonica was pleased to receive the rights to use a song by Mesa resident Brent Bowden, “Arizona Calling.” The song will be used in conjunction with social media posts and videos. The song can be found on YouTube and various music platforms.

Huseonica’s hike is sponsored by PBD Ultralight (PackBack Designs) of Scottsdale. Associate sponsors and supporters include OTTR Inc. of Goodyear, Glacial Gear in South Carolina, ArmaSkin of Australia and Trail Goods Company of Colorado.

His charity of choice is Beads of Courage based in Tucson. Beads of Courage is an arts-in-medicine program. It focuses on art as a way to honor and support children and teenagers dealing with serious illnesses.

Visit kartshuseonica.org for more information.